Waipio valley overlook on the big island of hawaii hawaii travel. Book your tickets online for waipio valley, island of hawaii. In this waipio valley hike guide you will learn the length, difficulty, and how to get to the trailhead. This hike will take you from the overlook into the valley, to the black sand beach, and back up. The hike described on this page travels from the waipio overlook to the beach and back. We are staying by at the fairmont orchid during our trip to big island in may. The valley is deeply cut into the mass of kohala mountain, with three thousandfoot cliffs and some waterfalls up to fifteenhundred feet. Waipio valley hike island of hawaii forum tripadvisor. Waipio valley is among the most popular destinations on the big island. Having to hike up waipio valley road with our packs on would not have been fun. The ascent out of waipio is a 1,200ft climb in under a mile that is a veritable stairway to heaven, with steep exposed switchbacks cut into the valley wall.
The big islands tallest waterfall, hiilawe falls cascades down approximately 1,300 feet down at the back of waipio valley. After a 18 miles of hiking and a couple nights of roughing it, getting trucked up a steep road felt amazing. Meaning curved water in the hawaiian language, waipio is a place of indescribable beauty and great historical significance. The ultimate guide to the waipio valley hike waipio valley meaning curved water in the native hawaiian language is one of the most beautiful spots on the big island of hawaii. With the climb in your rearview, things mellow out a bit with a 5 mile course of moderate hiking through 12 smaller gulches and a handful of stream crossings.
Or see waimanu valley, a backpack or extreme dayhike to this majestic spot. The hike described on this page travels from the waipio overlook to the beach. The valley was once home to thousands of native hawaiians. Located north along the hamakua coast, the valley of the kings is one mile wide and six miles deep surrounded by 2,000 feet cliffs.
You can view the valley from the coastal waipio valley overlook at the end of the hamakua heritage. The muliwai trail zigzags up the opposite side of waipio. There is a considerable amount of bad information available on the internet and in some popular guidebooks concerning waipio. The elevation gain is approximately 975 feet on the steepest road. We are considering hiking down into the waipio valley. To reach waipio valley, you have to hike or drive down one of the steepest road in the united states.
Waipio valley is about one mile across, over fivemiles deep, and surrounded by cliffs up to 2000feet high. Shortly after getting onto waipio valley road, we had to get off. I would appreciate any advice from someone who has done this. See the muliwai trail hike, which travels up the cliffs on the other side of waipio valley for amazing views. The ultimate guide to the waipio valley hike big island bucketlist. Users of the website may print or download any content for personal use, but no. Explore more island of hawaii regions go to regions page. The hike down into waipio valley is one of our top5 short hikes in hawaii. The round trip hike from the lookout parking lot to the black sand beach and back is just over 3 miles. The easternmost and largest of the seven windward valleys of kohala mountain, waipio is the valley of the kings.
Additionally, you will need to hike across the beach to hike the muliwai trail or any portion of ztrail which can be seen etched in the opposing. The hike is 19 miles roundtrip from the waipio lookout. The ultimate guide to the waipio valley hike big island. This is the shortest hike from this trailhead, but there are two other hikes that begin here. The trail is primarily used for hiking and walking and is accessible yearround. Download a muliwai trail and campground map at camping. Explore waipio valley, waipio valley lookout the outbound. Trekking the untamed, secluded beauty of hawaiis waipio valley. The muliwai trail actually travels all the way to waimanu valley, a backpack or extreme dayhike.